The Cyclone

The first part follows news of the disaster as it reached the British district officers. Officials in Bakarganj recommended that the government make a substantial contribution to relief, but their views were discounted by higher-ranking officials outside the district who favored minimal government intervention. In Noakhali and Chittagong, on the other hand, a policy of minimal relief was adopted from the beginning. The second part describes the disaster’s immediate effects. Far from being a social leveler, the impact of the cyclone was distributed along lines of class, occupation, sex, and age.